Corrective shoe



ct. 7, 1930. F. L. RlcHARDsoN ET AL 1,778,002

CORRECTIVE SHOE Filed June 27, 1929 A urn Patented oct. 1, 1,930

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE FRED. L. RICHARDSON AND LAURIE S. MACDONALD, F BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS,

ASSIGNORS TO THOMPSON BROS. SHOE CO., 0F BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A COR- y PORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS COBRECTIV E SHOE Application led June 27,

. This invention relates to shoes of the corrective type and more particularly that type of shoe in which the inner sole, at its shank portion beneath the arch of the foot, is provided with lateral extensions upwardly turned to afford supporting means for the main'longitudinal arch of the foot, such a shoe, for example, as is disclosed in the United States patent to George R. Davis, No. l 1,058,561.

In order to afford proper support on opposite sides of the arch through these extensions it'is desirable that the inner sole of the shoe bottom shall he fairly heavy, but in the manufacture of such shoes with the proper weight of inner sole there has been encountered dliculty in moulding the lateral arch supporting extensions to give them a sharp enough upward curvature from the body of the insole to snugly embrace or hug the arch portion of the foot which they are intended to engage. lThe problem is further complicated by the fact that the forward portion of the archsubtending or shank portion of the insole is inclined downwardly toward the forepart, since the shank portion is, and should be, on a ,somewhat higher level than the forepart of the shoe bottom. Such downward bending tends to force the forward end portion of the main extension outward away from the foot. It is also `desirable that the inner sole be not materially weakened along the lines where the relatively fiat inner sole body joins the upturned arch supporting extension. The present invention affords a solution of these difficulties by providing an inner sole construction which permits the sharp upward bending of the arch lsupporting extensions along clearly defined lines of juncture without sacrificing the strength of the inner sole and consists, generally speaking, in a construction of inner sole of sole leather having a lateral extension on either, or preferably on both, sides of thev shank portion of the body of the inner sole, `which extension is integrally united throughout the iiesh or iibrousvlayer of the sole leather and is severed throughout the grain layer of the inner sole on a line substantially following the usual contour of 5@v the shank portion of an insole,l thereby elimi- 1929. serial 110,374,012.

nating resistance of the stiff grain layer to the proper bending upward of the extension -while retaining practically the full strength of the leather at the point of juncture by the absence of any severing cut through the fibrous layer of the inner' sole. Moreover, this severance of the grain layer, while leaving the more flexible but tougher brous layer intact, permits that portion of the inner sole where the shank portion merges with the forepart to bend downward without tending to force outward the extension member on the inner or ball side of the shoe. Y

This and other features of the invention will be particularly described in the following specification and will be defined in the claims hereto annexed.

In the accompanying drawings we have illustrated the preferred construction embodying the principles of this invention, in which 4 Fig. 1 is a top plan view of an insole blank showlng the severing lines or channels partly separating or dividing the lateral arch supporting extensions from the main -body portion of the inner sole.

Fig. 2 is' a cross sectional elevation on dotted line plane 2 2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan View of the inner sole blank with the lateral extensions upwardly moulded before attachment to the last for lasting the upper.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the moulded inner sole shown in Fig. 3.

' Fi s. 5 and 6 are cross sectional views respectively on the dotted line planes 5-5 and 6-6 of Fig. 3. y

Fig. 7 is a cross sectional elevation through the middle portion of the shank showing the shoe'upper lining and the reenforcng bands united with the shoe bottom.

In the practice of the invention the inner sole of sole leather is out out in the usual form, except that the shank portion is provided with integral outwardly projecting lateralextensions 2 and 3 which are to form the arch supporting members or segments in the completed shoe.

With a suitable cutting tool channels 4 and 5 are gouged out of the top or grain side ofv -the forward end of the along these lines so as to leave narrow channels extending down practically to the brous or iesh layer of the sole leather which is the tough or tenacious portion of the sole leather, whilethe grain layer of lsomewhat horn-like texture is the stiiening layer of the sole leather but adds little to its tensile strength.

It will therefore be seen that the integral connection between the iiesh layers of the body portion and of the arch supportingextension is not weakened by this .channelling process while the stiffness along the line of upward bend is largely eliminated. Furthermore, a very definite line of sharp bending can be established by reason of the removal or cutting away of the stiff grain layer on these lines 4 and 5. Furthermore, by reason of the elimination of this' stiii'ening at main or ball side ex.' tension at 4 the tendency of the downward bending of the forepart at this point to force" outward the adjacent portion ofthe main extension 2 is substantially eliminated.

When the blank has thus been channelled it may be placed in the moulding machine or press and'it will be,foundthat both exten- .sions can be given an -abrupt upward curvature. along the normal contour lines of the shank portion of an inner sole, thereby enabling the lateral arch supporting .extensions to closely hug fthe' upward curvature of the `porting extensions are turned foot at these points, which is an effect greatly ,desired but not heretofore practically accomplished. t l

After the inner sole thus channelled on its top or grain side has been thus moulded, it is ready to be attached tothe last on which the complete shoe is tobe built. v,The in nerl sole' is channelled on the bottom or iesh sideto form the welt attaching lips 6 to which the interior lining 7 the upper 9 and the intermediate straps or reenforcing bands 8, shown in the aforesaid Davis patent, `-are united by stitching, following which the outer sole 10 is attached bv'the usualstitching operation.

It will therefore be seen that the weight and strength of the inner sole is not sacriiiced, while at the same time the arch supupward on clearly'defined and appropriate lines of j uncture with the lflat portion of the inner-sole body to closely hug the corresponding portions of an' inserted foot. a

The outer edge of each extension should be thinned or skived down to avoid forminga away leaving the grain side intact except at v" the tip so as` to preserve the stiffness in the edge portion of the extension. f Y

at we claim is:

I; An inner sole for a corrective shoe embracing an integral sole leather body of usual contour comprising grain and fibrous layers and having lateral 1 extensions projecting from opposite sides of the shank portion, the brous layer of the extensions being integral and continuous with the brous layer of the inner sole body while the grain layer of the extensions is cut through to separate it' from the body along the shank line,F thereby pery mitting the extensions to be turned sharply uinner sole body portion. the grain layer being channelled along said line 'leaving the brous layer intact` the forward end of said channel extendingthrough the grain layer to the edge of the ball portionto allow the insole fore'part to bend downward while allowing the ad] a- 'cent end of the extension member to turn sharply upward; v

3. An inner sole for a corrective shoe embracingan integral sole leather blank comprising an upper grain layer and a lower fibrous layer, having projecting out from the normal concave contour of the shank a lateral extension whose fibrous layer vis continuous and integral with`the librous layer of the body portion but having its grain layer separated from the grain layer of the bodyportion by removal of a narrow strip of the f grain layer along the concave line of the inside edge of the shank, said lextension bemg turned abruptly upward alongsaid concave line to aiford support forthe ball side of' the foot arch. t

4. An `inner sole. for acorrective shoe embracing an integral sole leather blank comprising an upper grain layer` and a lower fibrous layer, having projecting out from the normal concave contour of the shank a lateral extension whose -fibrous layer -is 'continuous and integralI with the fibrous layer -of the body portion but having its grain layer sepaf rated kfrom'the grain layer of the body por- 'tion by removal of a narrow strip of the grain layer along the concave line ofthe inside edge. of the shank', said extension being turned abruptly upward along said concave line to afford support for the ball side of the foot arch, the fibrous layer of the extension being skived o along its outer edge portion to leave a thin edge portion Wholly of grain layer.

In witness whereof, we have' subscribed the above specication.

FRED. L. RICHARDSON. LAURIE S. MACDONALD. 

